Chris Young’s playing time may soon be curtailed, but he will likely still have a job with the Mets.

A team official on Monday disputed an ESPN.com report that indicated Young could be released Thursday when Juan Lagares is expected to be activated from the disabled list.
Young is batting .201 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 179 at-bats this season. The Mets last offseason signed Young to a one-year deal worth $7.25 million, the remainder of which they would be on the hook for if they released him.

The team official said Young is not in imminent danger of being released.

“He deserves more time,” the official said.

But Young will likely become buried on the bench as the fifth outfielder. Lagares and Curtis Granderson figure to be everyday players, with Eric Young Jr. and Bobby Abreu sharing most of the at-bats in the other outfield spot.

Top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard is 4-3 with a 5.33 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Las Vegas and remains a mystery to some within the organization.

A club source said Syndergaard’s quiet nature has made it difficult for the organization to get a read on where Syndergaard is mentally and emotionally.

One talent evaluator who recently watched Syndergaard pitch said the right-hander isn’t close to ready for a promotion to the major leagues because of his inconsistency. Syndergaard has made two starts since returning from a left shoulder injury he sustained in a collision covering home plate. He is 1-1 with a 7.59 ERA in those two starts.

Young, who played last season for the Athletics, indicated he’s hardly surprised by the team’s success this season. The Athletics will enter play Tuesday with the best record in the majors at 47-29.

“They are a real good team, a great group of guys and Bob Melvin is one of the greatest managers I’ve ever had a chance to work with,” Young said. “It’s a great ballclub, and they work well over there.”

Should they, yes....will they, no. Little sandy doesn't like to admit that he's ffluckked up. His reputation is wayyyyy to big for that. He'll just engage in some more double talk. But one can always hope. That's what the Wilpons do, hope. In fact, with the law of averages, sometimes even they win.

The Mets would have been better off just going with Kirk Nieuwenhuis as the starting LF than Chris Young. Would have saved $7 million that could have been used somewhere else and gotten better productivity from that spot. For an organization that professes to save money at every turn they royally screwed the pooch on that one.